Going Division 1 is what almost every high school athlete dreams of. It’s where hard work is translated into scholarship money and school pride. Pleasant Valley has gradually become a staple school in creating these high-caliber athletes. In the past three years, PV girls’ athletes have won seven championships spanning six sports.
Some of these teams greatly benefit from individuals who push themselves to be the best versions of themselves. From the 2026 graduating class, PV has confirmed eleven female athletes with Division 1 offers. Six of these girls have committed to their school of choice, while others are still weighing their options.
PV has about 3% of the 2026 class being recruited for higher athletics. For the general population, less than 2% of students in high school are expected to go D1. Success almost seems common for spartan athletics. Senior Isabelle Kremer, who is committed to Drake for volleyball, noted differences in the school district. “There’s more competition at PV because a lot of families are involved in club volleyball and have the money to afford better programs.”
Other PV girls hold similar ideas. “I think with that constant pressure that we feel we need to work harder. We have gotten lucky with the resources and training we get and athletes that go here do a great job of striving towards their goals and working hard,” said Hanley Schmidt, a senior committed to Central Connecticut State University for volleyball.
PV has the resources to develop great athletes and draw them in. Multiple strong players help to create an environment of striving for success and standing out among some of the greatest players in the state. With great talent comes the opportunity to become committed to an athletic program in higher education.
Committing to play a sport is not only an important decision, but a process that takes months. Coaches are only allowed to start reaching out to athletes on June 15th, the summer before their junior year. “At the end of my sophomore year of high school, a college messaged me through Instagram to ask to set up a call and talk about potentially rowing in college,” shared senior Kate Fitzpatrick, who competes for the Y Quad Cities Rowing program.
Even for great athletes, schools don’t always come straight to them. Many athletes reach out to dozens of coaches looking for a response. The process is an advanced form of trial and error. Athletes are often left without a message back even if they fit the criteria for the team. Some students use the program NCSA to assist with the recruiting process, as the site has direct access to Division-level coaches. However, these resources come at a hefty cost, which could go to waste if no one ever gets back.
PV student-athletes saw the recruiting process as a challenge for alternate reasons as well. “I found it most difficult to visit different schools because they were usually very far away, and it’s hard to go out of your way to visit all the schools you want to see,” said senior and rower Ellie Ziegelbein.
The timing of recruitment is critical to getting an offer. Reaching out even a couple of months late could mean the difference between an offer or not. There is often a long period of time that involves emailing a specific coach until they invite an athlete for a visit. Some visits result in official offers, while other coaches require more time to make a decision. If a student misses the time window for first communicating, they could find themselves behind many others aiming for the same spot.
Timing can differ from athlete to athlete, and each journey is unique. “I think that a lot of people like to recruit early because they can get it over with. I started recruitment a bit later but I still ended up with the school I wanted and liked the best,” said Kremer.
The opportunity to go D1 is in the hands of the athletes. However, it requires vast amounts of time and effort outside of the sport they are involved in. The culture of sports in high school has proved itself to be successful in launching athletes’ careers. PV girls have taken charge of their recruitment journeys and are starting to settle into their options.
